The Book of Akbar 355.1

355.1

ideas into his head, and his crude thoughts ripened. When the enlightened mind of H.M. the Shahinshah was aware of the frauds of this ungrateful crew, he, before they disclosed their evil intentions, laid his closely-hidden secret before the sincere, and united, such as Maham Anaga, who was a marvel for sense, resource and loyalty, Adham Khan, M. Sharafu-d-din Husain, and a number of other courtiers, and intimated that he would throw off some of the veils of his world-adorning beauty and would assume sovereignty, and would inflict suitable punishment on Bairām Khan and his assemblage of flatterers, so that they should awake from their sleep of neglect and long mourn over their misconduct. Good God! How could such thoughts enter a human head in the face of the supremacy of Bairam Khan, the largeness of his army and the tyranny of the lords of opposition? But as the world-adorning Deity was desirous that this chosen one should throw off one or two of the hundreds and thousands of the veils of his beauty, and should put another veil over his world-illuminating countenance, and that he should take his seat on the throne of command, it was inevitable that at such a time thoughts and inspirations such as these should find their way into his truth-worshipping mind.